


Dying Embers

by Princess_Ashling_Alroy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, M/M, Post-Nogitsune, post-season 3b, season 4 never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 11:10:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18445349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Ashling_Alroy/pseuds/Princess_Ashling_Alroy
Summary: After the miserable defeat of our heroes after the latest baddie of the week, the pack is not as okay as they thought they were. How could they be after one of their own was possessed and almost killed by an evil Chaos fox spirit. Scott thought a simple easy fight would bring everyone back together, but in actuality it showed everyone how not-okay they really are. So there Derek was alone.





	Dying Embers

Empty. Cold. Quite. Alone.

Derek almost couldn't breath as the dark emotions steeped out of every surface of his apartment but with nowhere else to go he remained. How much of the smell came from him through...

Nothingness, darkness, Loneliness.

After defeating of the latest badie to hit Beacon Hills, everyone was taking a break. A silly ghoul had been terrorizing some Pioneer campsites by a Trading Outpost on the opposite side of town but the weight of the Nogitsune, only a few months earlier, was heavily on the pack. The ghoul they thought was a chance to get back into the swing of things. Derek and Scott had thought fighting as a Pack was pretty. A Team again.  
Not fighting against their own. But Derek knew some of the darker feelings everyone was having about the whole thing had bleed into the fight itself.  
It was weird to says the least. 

Okay so No, weird didn’t even come close to the sense of wrongness and disillusionment. Horrible. Yeah that was better.

Scott had finally convinced Malia to join up and she was still trying to learn everyone's fighting styles. Kira was confused about where she fit into the whole pack dynamic and a brody Lydia determined not to get involved. Derek had not been able to add any productive insight because he had still been reeling from his dreams about Kate. Nothing really made any sense any more.  
That was why Scott had asked Stiles to “research” the clearly supernatural claims the camper had been blubbering about. By “research” he met tricking his dad out of some police reports.  
Scott had thought it was a good idea to take on a small supernatural creature that they were sure to beat without any problems. What he and the pack found out was that there was still problems with the pack. They didn’t know how to fight together anymore. Trust was hard to come by anymore. Scott had resolved to get everyone to train together more so no one accidentally swiped at the wrong person. Stiles had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole crusade. Derek had expected his reluctance towards the supernatural after gaining control of your own body from a chaos demon.  
Everyone, Stiles included, had agreed to keep an eye on him. But Derek was the only one to notice his extra hesitation in everything he did. The haunting look in his eyes had been in Derek not long ago. He had seen those eyes every time he had looked in the mirror after the fire.  
He knew what Stiles was thinking. He was thinking of the death and destruction he had caused on the world. On his friends and family. On the town he grew up in. On the countless people whom he didn’t every know there names but had been downed by his hands.  
Death and Destruction. That was all he had brought on the world.  
Derek knew Stiles felt like that. It was a horrible thing to feel. Derek had had his sister for a little while but Scott and Stiles and the Pack in Beacon Hills he had created had really been the catalyst to make him feel like himself again. Stiles had helped him so Derek was debating how he could return the favor. But for now he was alone in the loft. One more day before he started his plan. What plan he had no clue. He never got a chance to that night. 

_Bang ___

____Derek jumped at least five feet in the air as the elevator door to his loft slammed open. He wasn't scared of anything. No sir but a few weeks ago, it had been a hard, destructive, and possessed Stiles that had sought protection from the Oni that had thrown that door open. Now the same body stood sheepish in the doorway. Derek could almost taste the anxiety rolling off Stiles as he proceeded into the loft. This Stiles was very different from the last one that had been in control.  
“I need your help with something! Well, its more little I wanta ask you for a favor. Aaaaaaannnndd you're like the only one who I could trust about something like this. So your gonna help me but I'm not gonna force you!! I have had enough experience with being forced to doing things you don't wanna do. Sooo… can I come in?” Stiles tapered off, seemingly relieved and more anxious than he had been at the door.  
“Seeing as you are already in my loft, does the situation warranty your last question mute?” Derek’s reply caused Stiles to stop short.  
Months before, Derek would have been extremely excited to have the constant babble stop from that darmed mouth stop but the look on Stiles’ face broke Derek’s heart a little. A really tiny part. Stiles had grown on him before void took over. He had felt much more concern than he thought we would have when Stiles wasn’t Stiles.  
Now…  
“Right.” Stiles left the word hanging in the air. He stood silence close to the door. He could feel a buzzing under his skin. The tension was so strong he could feel a physical manifestation. _What was he doing?_ He had to get out what he came to Derek for in the first place.  
“When I wasn’t myself” Stiles started, “I hurt a lot of people.” The finality in Stiles statement was chilling in the dark loft. Derek just stood there facing Stiles.  
“I don’t want that to ever, _Ever _happen again.”__  
Derek didn’t know what to say. So he continued looking at Stiles face. And this time he really looked. He could see the dark circles under his eyes. Stiles had lost a little weight judging from the loose fitting jeans Stiles had on and the way his shirt was pulled off to the side, like it was too big. Derek smelt sadness, desperation, and pain lingering on Stiles underneath the boys strong shampoo. Stiles normally upfront and center body language was demure compared to before. His shoulders were slumped and he was favoring his left leg and side. Probably from Malia ill timing from the fight. Derek was pulled back from his thoughts about Stiles when the object of said thoughts started talking again.  
“If something were ever to happen to me, like the Nogitsune, again” Stiles stopped and swallowed. The movement was captivating to Derek. That thought confusing Derek. Why did he feel so enthralled. Stiles continued softer, “If I were not myself again, I don’t wanta cause any more pain. Anymore death. So don’t let me do that, okay? Your the only one who doesn’t care too much about me to do what needs to be done.” Derek blinked. Was that what Stiles really thought. Was that how he really felt. Deep, deep down Derek did care for these messed up teenagers. He would never let anyone know that thought but he still thought it. So why did Stiles faith in Derek’s indifference rub him the wrong way. It was weird too. The thought of attacking Stiles make his whole body cringe. Even his wolf wanted to snarl at the thought of really hurting the pale boy in front of him. But Derek cared enough about Stiles, had seen how much pain he’d been in, enough that if Stiles ask him to Derek thought he might be able to. So he said it.  
“If you ever stop being Stiles, I’ll do what you ask.”  
Stile signed looking down at the floor as his next words fell from his month, “Okay, that was easier than I thought. _Okay._ If I am not me anymore, please kill me. Don’t let anyone die because of me. Not again. Never again.”  
Derek’s heart sank but his resolve held true.  
“Never again.”  
And with that Stiles looked up into Derek’s eye. Derek smelled his emotions change slightly. Acceptance, relief, and another emotion, more comfortable smell wafted off Stiles towards Derek. The change caused Derek to frown a little bit more than he already had been. Stiles took the change as a sign that he might have overstayed his welcome.  
“Mmmm, okay. So, i’ll was be on my way now. Thanks for, mmm, that. Yeah. Okay, bye.” And with that Stiles brushed past Derek trailing the confusing smell with him to the door and the elevator.  
It was hours later as Derek laid away that he remembered what the emotion was. Love. Stiles had smelled like love. Derek’s heart sank. 

_Could he real do what Stiles wanted? Could he kill him?_


End file.
